Noel Girgenti’s First Group Mentoring Session of Spring Semester 2013 – Group 8, Session 3

Group mentoring leader, Noel Girgenti, Class of 2016
Photo courtesy of LinkedIn.com

In February, Noel Girgenti and her group mentoring team gathered to have quite another eye-opening and insightful conversation to get the Spring 2014 semester off on the right foot! In anticipation of the Career and Internship Fair that was to be held just two days from its meeting date, the team held a conversation saturated with great tidbits of advice from the executives on how to make a lasting impact on the recruiters who were going to flood Seton Hall’s field house. These suggestions were not only useful for the Career Fair, but they are also instructions for the future of the students’ careers being most effective when they become habits.

Initially, hunting for a job or internship may be intimidating until you have learned some tricks that will not only instill confidence into your demeanor, but also prove to the recruiter, interviewer, or employer that you are worth his or her time and a perfect fit for the position. Portraying yourself as an individual who is knowledgeable about the company sets off a recruiter’s interest because it’s a sign that you have done your research and care about the place you’re applying to. Executive Pat Haverland also stresses the notion of keeping a positive attitude and outlook that will radiate off of your being – emerging an energetic and happy personality underneath the professional exterior.

Engaging in self-reflection and understanding yourself so that you can talk about your direction in life or even a story that will put a smile of his or her face makes you a memorable candidate. Executive Scott Chesney actually encouraged the students to write their own obituaries to understand what they want to be remembered for or, in present day, to be known for by those they encounter.

With all the commotion at these career fairs, a few basic rules to remember: request business cards and follow-up, maintain eye contact, ask engaging questions, be knowledgeable and prepared, and know yourself. Lastly, on dealing with negative reactions from recruiters that seem hasty and uninterested, students are encouraged to ask, “if you were me, what would you do?” so that there is a moment of role-reversal where the recruiter can give good advice or remember you just from that question.

At the Leadership Development Honors Program, we congratulate Noel and her group mentoring team, executives and students alike, for the success on a great session! We hope that all who are looking for a new career path, summer internship, or job can benefit by the learning of this group and reap the benefits of the positive effects of these actions!

Below are the meeting minutes taken during this session:

Group Mentoring Meeting #3

Attendance: Scott Chesney, Pat Haverland, Tyler Orner, Geoffrey Thomulka, Vina Tailor, Matt Ulrich, Theo Filardi, Noel Girgenti

How do you differentiate yourself at the career fair?

Scott: Know about the company – tidbit – talk about them

–          Budget time, flexibility

–          Ask questions the whole time – no one is in that room besides the recruiter

–          Eye contact

–          Plan on who you want to see

Pat: Get person’s card – follow-up with e-mail or letter

Recruiter may say: “Just upload your resume…”

Scott: Is there a way to make myself stand out? – Ask recruiter – say you do not want to get caught in the system and ask for advice – “If you were me…”

Strategies:

–          Have a certain number of resumes to get rid of

–          Go to the ones with not of much foot traffic – more people to talk to

• Use them to warm up and make way to the ones you want to focus on

–          Know your elevator pitch

• Bullet points
• One of them should be a story that is going to make them  laugh and put smile on their faces
  • Character – powerful characteristics – what would all come out while working?
  • Integrity
  • Overcome adversary
  • Volunteer effort
  • Something you’re proud of that distinguishes you
  • What drives or motivates you, diversifies
  • What makes me…me

–          Pay attention to conversations in front of you

–          Know your approach depending on your position in life

–          Write your own obituary – what do you want to others know about you?

• Not egotistical – you’re getting a job to serve other people
• What has brought you up to this point in life
• Self-reflective
• How do you want to be remembered? – how to bridge that gap and what journey we should take to get to where we want to be

–          Do not constantly try to fit the mold

• Stay true to yourself – it’ll hit those buzz words naturally
• If they like you then you will be hired

–          Find out about company’s culture that connects the employees and how you connect with it

• Online reports
• Look at their board – how diverse is it? (ex. Old CEO picture with team vs. new CEO alone in picture) – their personalities affect the culture – letter to shareholders
• Stalk a little – check for names that you can connect with
  • It’s something different that will engage their interest

–          Check charity and community work

Scott: If I was interviewer – I’d want you to bring out that real person – ask questions to find that

Pat: I’d want to know how candidate reacts under stress and times of adversary – how to handle those situations

–          What’s happening in your industry – recent news releases not just facts (Google alerts)

–          Person doesn’t know what the job is à didn’t go the way they went à don’t want to see someone get emotional

Scott: Emotion is good in a controlled environment though – channel energy positively

How do we really KNOW the culture…what if there are negatives?

Pat: Until you have an offer – ask general questions on culture but explore more after you get the job – learn more by being misfit than a good fit

Scott: Make sure you know what you’re talking about before you ask about negatives

–          If something bothers you that much you probably won’t even want to interview with them

After you get the job…how to differentiate yourself

Pat: ATTITUDE – my job for my boss is to make sure that he looks like a star – do it happily and energetically

–          Regarding “paying your dues” – sometimes comes off as inefficient, may need to take work off their plate, boss may feel really bad because I [Pat] respect personal time – EXCEPTION is a large project due, etc.

Scott: Paying dues may not be received as a way to impress and climb the ladder

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